SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed the participation of 39 women scientists in government initiatives over the past five years, according to official data presented in the Rajya Sabha. The region stands at 11th place nationally in terms of the number of beneficiaries under the Department of Science and Technology’s (DST) WISE-KIRAN scheme and the Department of Biotechnology’s (DBT) BioCARe scheme.
The Government of India has said it has been actively implementing various initiatives to support women scientists, particularly those who face a “break-in-career.” This information was revealed in the Rajya Sabha on March 13, 2025, in response to a question raised by Baburam Nishad and Kiran Choudhry. The Women in Science and Engineering-KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN) initiative, under the DST, aims to enhance women’s participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields by offering structured opportunities at different career stages. This includes the WISE Fellowship for PhD (WISE-PhD), WISE Post-Doctoral Fellowship (WISE-PDF), WISE-Societal Challenges with Opportunities (WISE-SCOPE), and WISE Internship in Intellectual Property Rights (WISE-IPR). The Department of Biotechnology has also been running the BioCARe programme to support women scientists in the field of biotechnology.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the WISE-KIRAN scheme supported 39 women scientists between 2020 and 2025, while there were no beneficiaries under the BioCARe scheme. The highest participation in these schemes was seen in Delhi, with 174 women scientists benefiting, followed by Maharashtra with 94 and Tamil Nadu with 77.
Across India, a total of 1,358 women scientists have been supported under these schemes in the past five years. The government has said these initiatives are aimed at fostering gender inclusivity in science and technology and enabling women to overcome career disruptions due to personal and societal constraints.
Despite ranking outside the top ten, Jammu and Kashmir has shown a steady increase in participation, with the number of beneficiaries growing from five in 2020-21 to 17 in 2024-25. The government has said it remains committed to expanding opportunities for women in STEM fields, particularly in underrepresented regions.
